Some say knowledge is power, but that's not true. Character is power - Sathya Sai Baba

In our changing world, I think the above quote is validated more and more each day. With the internet and other effective ways of communicating knowledge and information with a growing percentage of the world population, the days when only a small number of people (the leaders) in communities were revered for having the knowledge and the keys to a better life, are no longer. When we think of the three c’s that would indicate a person’s quality, competence, charisma and character, it is the first two that we got used to admire and be influenced by. Those people who, based on their superior knowledge, know how to make things happen and produce the goods, and those people who can persuade or manipulate the masses were the hero’s of the 20th century. From them we received the quick fixes to our problems and the easy steps to our dreams of success and wealth. And indeed, particularly in the Western World, we’ve witnessed the creation of material wealth as never before. But we have also witnessed two world wars, outrageous levels of greediness, self enrichment, hedonism, apathy and depression. Externally, man has changed the landscape admirably to make life easier (for many), but internally there is an undeniable spiritual thirst. There is a longing for what is less evident with the first glance, competence and charisma, but what adds sustainable value to a more meaningful and fulfilled life – character. We are looking for men and now definitely also women, of character that can lead with balance and wisdom, who commit themselves in their daily work not only to the material side of life, but also the spiritual.

But how does one discern character and how is ‘character built’? … I will share my thoughts – and experience - with you in next month’s communication.

The Global Leaders Africa Summit was recently held in Johannesburg. At the cost of R 22 000 - or there about - for the three days, I could not attend it. However, I did get hold of some of the interesting and also important bits of information:


1 The primary reason for customers to quit a brand is not Price (9%) or Functionality (14%) but rather the “Attitude of Indifference of an Employee” (68%), according to a survey of 2,400 customers by IBM.

2 The cost of noncommitment averages between 15 to 25 percent of sales revenue – not the 3 to 7 percent many believe it to be.?

3 No matter how much you spend on advertising your brand, ultimately your brand image will depend on the level of commitment by your employees to deliver the brand promise.

All the more reason to develop leaders, since it is effective and real leadership – not management – that move people from compliance to commitment!! My New Era Leadership 360 degree assessment and follow through coaching include all the levels of development necessary to attain high commitment:

ASSURANCE - To feel certain about the Future

CHALLENGE - To attain a positive change from the daily routine; a new challenge

CONNECTION - To experience meaningful relationships with others

SIGNIFICANCE - To experience a sense of being needed, of making a difference

GROWTH - To be all that you can be; to grow both personally and professionally

CONTRIBUTION - To help others; to contribute to the community, to empower someone

HIGHER ASSOCIATION - The need to be part of a higher purpose; to join a movement

(IziCwe Academy)


African Renaissance

Some of the good news stories on Africa’s development that I can share with you this month are the following:

1 As I am sure you are aware of, Bill Lynch, CEO of South Africa's Imperial Holdings, was named 2006 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year. After arriving in South Africa 35 years ago with ?2 000 and no job, Bill beat a strong field of 32 national winners to take the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. In 1990, Lynch became Imperial's executive chairman and showed his faith in South Africa's future - at a time when many were predicting the country's descent into political and economic chaos - by driving further expansion, transforming the core Toyota dealership into a multibrand network, among other initiatives.

2 Carol Pineau, made a documentary, "Africa: Open for Business" that was screened at last year's Cannes Film Festival in France. It highlights 10 entrepreneurs profiting in Africa, including a cellphone magnate in Congo who worked with local residents to scrounge parts for a transmission tower, which they constructed amid a rebel attack on the capital. Now there are legions of cellphone users in Congo. "Africa is shifting more and more toward becoming a business story," says John Chiahemen, chief Reuters correspondent in Southern Africa and chairman of the board of the Foreign Correspondents' Association of Southern Africa. Increasingly, he says, Reuters is focusing on "opportunities in Africa" because the continent "has never looked more promising as a business destination."

3 Contrary to the projections of the Afro-pessimists, a renaissance is emerging in Africa. This was witnessed during the deliberations of the Sixth Africa Governance Forum (AGF VI) that was held in Kigali, Rwanda in May. The theme for AGF VI was "Implementing the African Peer Review Mechanism: Challenges and Opportunities." This is an area, which symbolises African rebirth. Kintu Nyago, from Uganda, writes: ‘This was my first visit to Rwanda. Kigali is a small but orderly city. This probably has to do with their having a different land tenure system from Kampala. It also has good infrastructure, partially inherited and improved upon by the (RPF).My impression is that the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) is creating a development state that delivers in the social sector. Politically, they are promoting an alternative form of accommodative governance, where ordinary Rwandese are encouraged to participate in the political processes…’ (For an overview and news of real developments in Africa visit the http://allafrica.com/nepad/ website.)

4 Other snippets:

* Africa's economies grew by more than 5 percent last year - their biggest expansion in eight years. Central Africa's oil boom spurred 14.4 percent growth for that region.

* Ghana's stock exchange is regularly on of the highest-performing markets in the world; in 2003, it was No. 1, gaining 144 percent, according to one analysis.

* Exports to the US from 37 African nations jumped 88 percent last year, to $26.6 billion. Jeans made in Lesotho are sold in US stores. Also, flowers from Kenya and vegetables from Senegal are regularly available in European shops.

* Use of cellphones and the Internet is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else, according to the United Nations.




Have an inspiring July – the winter cold notwithstanding.

Best wishes